What is Link Rot?

Link rot (or linkrot), also known as link death, link breaking or reference rot, refers to the process by which hyperlinks on individual websites or the Internet in general point to web pages, servers or other resources that have become permanently unavailable.

The phrase also describes the effects of failing to update out-of-date web pages that clutter search engine results.

A link that does not work any more is called a broken link, dead link, or dangling link.

Why is it so important?

Link rot indicates that a site is not being looked after. Not only is it hugely frustrating for users, but Search Engines like the all powerful Google now take note to the number of broken links on a site.

The more broken links, the more a search engine believes the site is not being looked after. So broken links can now contribute to your google ranking!